I’m late! I’m late … Facing changes
In the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland, The White Rabbit, sings I’m Late, the first part of which is:
I'm late!
I'm late!
For a very important date!
No time to say "Hello", goodbye!
I'm late!
I'm late!
A month or so ago I made the decision that I could no longer afford to wait for the perfect house or apartment. The heat in my one bedroom apartment was costing over $350.00 a month and would not heat above 62 degrees F if the weather was very cold. Since the furnace was “working” the landlord did not think that there was a problem which warranted attention. My friend who is also the realtor who sold my former house and who had been on the lookout for a place for me to buy, approached the problem as if I was late for a very important date with my house or apartment which would become my new home. She shifted to 5th gear and declared “no time to say ‘Hello’, or goodbye!.” Soon, following many rejects, we found what seemed to be the perfect house for my home and part-time office. Two weeks later, I had packed everything up once again and kept my date for the closing. Friday, the day I am writing, marks the one-week anniversary of my first date with my new home. The “stuff” is moved and unpacked, the art hung, the new range is hooked up and working and it is now my home as well as my office
I have also started to work out at a different gym since coincidentally the one I had been a member of since 2001 has closed. Although I did not feel good about leaving my gym home, I and others had no choice.
Actually, there were choices. I could have stayed in the cold, expensive apartment and I could have decided that I was not going to join another gym. I could have used my home design skills to design a costume of sackcloth and ashes. In other words, I could have assumed the mantle of victimhood. Of course, I would have had to hide out from all my friends who would not have stood quietly by and cosigned my victimhood. Friends such as Becky, Barbara and others, including my son, would lovingly have let me know that they expected me to keep my very important date with the future. They would have been there for and with me with hugs and sage reminders. If I needed an immediate reminder all I needed to do was to read Dr. Johnen’s weekly blog about healthy ways of dealing with change.
It was clear that I and my friends expected me to keep my very important date with the future. Often when we are faced with changes we may ask ourselves the questions:
· What if I move forward and the changes do not bring positive outcomes?
· What if I have to face hurt and disappointment?
· What if the political climate in the world gets worse?
· What if I did not listen carefully and the God of my understanding had other plans for me?
These are, of course always possibilities. Negative events and situations will continue to show up but if I am mired in a victim role all I will experience are the negatives. If, on the other hand, I allow myself to move forward and sing along with Peter “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date,” I will also experience the positives which are always available to us. Being present for change may be temporarily uncomfortable. Victimhood is guaranteed to bring discomfort, loneliness and no possibility of joy. Today I will choose to keep my date with the future and forego creating a new costume of sackcloth and ashes.
Written February 3, 2017
In the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland, The White Rabbit, sings I’m Late, the first part of which is:
I'm late!
I'm late!
For a very important date!
No time to say "Hello", goodbye!
I'm late!
I'm late!
A month or so ago I made the decision that I could no longer afford to wait for the perfect house or apartment. The heat in my one bedroom apartment was costing over $350.00 a month and would not heat above 62 degrees F if the weather was very cold. Since the furnace was “working” the landlord did not think that there was a problem which warranted attention. My friend who is also the realtor who sold my former house and who had been on the lookout for a place for me to buy, approached the problem as if I was late for a very important date with my house or apartment which would become my new home. She shifted to 5th gear and declared “no time to say ‘Hello’, or goodbye!.” Soon, following many rejects, we found what seemed to be the perfect house for my home and part-time office. Two weeks later, I had packed everything up once again and kept my date for the closing. Friday, the day I am writing, marks the one-week anniversary of my first date with my new home. The “stuff” is moved and unpacked, the art hung, the new range is hooked up and working and it is now my home as well as my office
I have also started to work out at a different gym since coincidentally the one I had been a member of since 2001 has closed. Although I did not feel good about leaving my gym home, I and others had no choice.
Actually, there were choices. I could have stayed in the cold, expensive apartment and I could have decided that I was not going to join another gym. I could have used my home design skills to design a costume of sackcloth and ashes. In other words, I could have assumed the mantle of victimhood. Of course, I would have had to hide out from all my friends who would not have stood quietly by and cosigned my victimhood. Friends such as Becky, Barbara and others, including my son, would lovingly have let me know that they expected me to keep my very important date with the future. They would have been there for and with me with hugs and sage reminders. If I needed an immediate reminder all I needed to do was to read Dr. Johnen’s weekly blog about healthy ways of dealing with change.
It was clear that I and my friends expected me to keep my very important date with the future. Often when we are faced with changes we may ask ourselves the questions:
· What if I move forward and the changes do not bring positive outcomes?
· What if I have to face hurt and disappointment?
· What if the political climate in the world gets worse?
· What if I did not listen carefully and the God of my understanding had other plans for me?
These are, of course always possibilities. Negative events and situations will continue to show up but if I am mired in a victim role all I will experience are the negatives. If, on the other hand, I allow myself to move forward and sing along with Peter “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date,” I will also experience the positives which are always available to us. Being present for change may be temporarily uncomfortable. Victimhood is guaranteed to bring discomfort, loneliness and no possibility of joy. Today I will choose to keep my date with the future and forego creating a new costume of sackcloth and ashes.
Written February 3, 2017
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